The first task for the new leader of the Australian Labor Party (ALP) is to shake off the image of being the ‘chief faceless man’ instrumental in the removal of two Australian Prime Ministers in three years, according to a Charles Sturt University (CSU) politics expert.

 

Associate Professor in political science, Dominic O’Sullivan, at the CSU School of Humanities and Social Sciences in Bathurst,  said, “This requires fundamental reform to the party’s factional power base and, already on day-one, the new leader, Mr Bill Shorten, MP, has lost the confidence of senior ALP members of parliament Ms Anna Burke and Mr Warren Snowdon in this respect.

 

“The Opposition’s shadow front bench election was a deal among factional ‘faceless men’ and until Bill Shorten insists on transparent Labor Party democracy, there will always be a level of public suspicion detracting from important policy contrasts between Labor and the Coalition that he needs to highlight to make Labor competitive at the next election,” Professor O’Sullivan said.

 

“On the other hand, Mr Shorten brings significant policy achievements to the job, especially in relation to the National Disability Insurance Scheme, superannuation, and increased school funding through his contribution to the Gonski Reforms.